CHAPTER 4

Two days later, Robert and Tommy were still on their stakeout of the Braddock mansion. They had retrieved the pictures and sent them back to HQ. They even had pictures of Brian learning to use new superhuman abilities he had evidently gained since his accident. He had lifted a wardrobe, run around the grounds for hours and even briefly hovered in the air.

After reading their report back at HQ, Robert and Tommy's boss, had passed the astonishing information all the way up to the top. Apparently none other than Peggy Carter herself was sending an agent out to join them. Robert would have preferred a STRIKE team but orders were orders. He sat keenly listening into and sipping on his tasteless instant coffee. For him, coffee was like orders, something he would take and deal with, no matter his opinion on it.

He turned to see that Tommy was staring at a picture in his hand instead. Robert had been on enough stakeouts and knew Tommy well enough to know what the picture was of.

"Is that your family?" he asked softly.

It was difficult to be away from family for a long time, even if you were working to make the world a safer place for them.

"Yeah" sighed Tommy sadly "it's my son's birthday today."

Robert reached over to put his hand on Tommy's shoulder but stopped himself. He had to remain professional, the kid had to learn what came first. He turned back to face the screens.

Meanwhile, James was in a similar position – sat in an old-fashioned armchair, staring at a framed photograph in his hands.

"Oh Lizzie, I'm so sorry" he whimpered "I need to take better care of this family, I already failed you once, I won't fail you with the children."

"Well if this goes the way it's meant to, you could be back with them tomorrow" Robert replied, with an unusual air of optimism.

"Let's hope they're co-operative" Tommy added.

Then there was an unexpected knock on the van's side door. Robert and Tommy looked at each other, alarmed. Robert drew his gun from the holster over his shoulder and aimed at the door. Tommy knew that meant he was to be the one to open the door. He counted to three in his head and slid open the door.

"Woah, guys, I'm sure you're excited to see me but this isn't the type of excitement I'm used to" joked the greying, moustached man in a sharp grey suit.

Stark!? Howard Stark was the one who had been sent? Well if this didn't result in a promotion, Robert didn't know what would. Robert forgot all about the gun he had aimed at his superior.

"Do you not even want to know if I have any last words?" he asked jokingly.

Cameron reached over and pushed Robert's arm down until he was aiming at the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir" Robert stammered.

"Why thank you Agent Klein" Howard smiled "Okay fellas so my plan is to walk in and try to recruit Brian. Betsy would make a good addition to our team too from what I've heard. Sound like a good plan?"

He barely even paused for a second.

"Great, let's go. I think I'll take my own ride up to the house."

Then, the whirlwind that was Howard Stark hopped out of his van and into the rented red Cadillac.

James was still sitting in the armchair of his study when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter" he called.

Edwina's face popped around the door.

"Sir, there's a man here to see you. He says…"

The door swung open and Howard strolled in past a shocked Edwina.

"You know who I am right?" Howard smiled.

Most people did but this was the UK, they were weird here.

"Billionaire, playboy and pioneer Howard Stark. Of course I do" James retorted.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought some friends."

Tommy and Robert took that as their cue to join the pair in the study.

"Oh you again. Agent… Agent…?"

"Robert Brown."

James looked to Tommy.

"Agent Tommy Klein."

"Well how can I help you all?" James asked politely, although he was clearly irritated.

"I'll cut to the chase. We have no interest in you James, it's your children that we're interested in" stated Howard "oh and your friend Merlyn, we know about him too."

"I have no idea what you're talking about" James lied.

"Oh don't play this game with me. These two have been watching you for days."

Howard motioned at Tommy and Robert. Before James could retaliate Merlyn appeared out of nowhere.

"I hear you wish to speak with me Mr Stark" Merlyn interjected.

Howard was shocked, he had seen some amazing things over the years but this was something new.

Merlyn stared at Howard, but he was not impressed. He had come across mortal men like him before. For his type, it was all about ambition. It took control of everything and made good men dangerous.

"Impressive magic act you've got there. Peggy is gonna beat herself up for not coming when I tell her about this."

Merlyn waited for Howard to ask his question.

"Oh, yes. I wanted to ask you about the Ebony Blade. There was this Brit, Nathan Garrett. Crazy guy really, moved his whole castle to the US on a whim. Anyway, he was going by the 'Black Knight' and doing some pretty bad stuff. He was quite tricky to catch too, let me tell you. I digress. So he told us about a sword in his castle made by you apparently. Of course, we thought he was making the whole thing up but after paying the place a visit, we found it. In a stone. I told my good friend Walt all about it, it's what inspired him to make that movie a few years back, The Sword in the Stone."

"My son loves that movie!" Tommy blurted.

Robert turned to his younger colleague. Tommy had just interrupted the discussion between a founder of their organisation and a supposedly fictional sorcerer.

"Your question?" the sorcerer asked impatiently, already tired of the conversation.

Merlyn appeared to be quite bored as he rolled his eyes, he was not fond of that animated version of himself. Packing all that furniture into a little bag was such a dull party trick. James knew about the sword, he'd even known its original owner, but he never knew the renowned Garrett had been the infamous Black Knight.

"Is it dangerous?" asked Howard.

"In the wrong hands, it could be catastrophically dangerous. Although it can't easily get into the wrong hands, I made sure of that. You should relax Mr Stark, I have put my pawns in place."

"You're not very good at sharing are you?" Howard mocked.

There was a knock on the door but no one in the study even noticed.

"You only get the one question" Merlyn warned, making up this new rule.

"So that's a firm no? Wait, you never mentioned that. Have you never heard of 20 questions?"

"I will give you one future freebie Mr Stark" Merlyn teased, to James' surprise "promote Agent Klein, he's a good one. Just as Cameron will be."

Merlyn nonchalantly waved and disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived. Howard turned to Tommy.

"Who's Cameron?" he asked.

Tommy shrugged, he had no idea. There was another knock at the door, louder than the last.

"Oh, come in" James shouted.

Brian and Betsy barged in, wondering why a stranger had summoned them to their father's study. All Edwina had told them was that the strangers were American. The twins figured that these Americans had lost all sense of hospitality, that's if they had one in the first place.

"Well let's hope this goes better than my chat with Merlyn" Howard mumbled a little too loudly to Robert.

"Brian, Betsy. I'd like you to meet Howard Stark and you remember the two US agents who work for him" James introduced.

Brian walked up to Howard and shook his hand.

"How can we help you?" he asked politely.

"I'm glad you asked that son" Howard began "do you or young Betsy over there want a job?"

Brian and James were surprised, unlike Betsy, they hadn't been expecting that.

"Working for you I assume?" Brian asked, unsure of the forward American.

"In the British branch of his spy agency" Betsy interjected "what is with all those acronyms?"

As Howard had expected, she could read his mind. Unless she was a time traveller. Now that would be cool.

"I'm not a time traveller" she groaned.

"I'm sorry Mr Stark but I think that I speak for the both of us when I say that…"

Howard raised his hand, causing Brian to trail off.

"Once you say it, you can't take it back. Just think about it" he coaxed, looking from Brian to Betsy.

With that, he turned and led Robert and Tommy away without either of them having said a word. They had only really been there in case things went wrong anyway, Betsy heard him think.

The next evening, Tommy was back with his family, Robert was sat at his desk writing a mission report and Howard poured out two glasses of whisky for him and his new girl, Maria. Meanwhile, in the Braddock mansion, a debate was underway.

"I just think that it'd be a good experience for me and a chance to do some good" Betsy explained to her father and brother in the wooden study.

James stood gazing out at the grounds of the mansion that Merlyn had gifted him. It had been completely unexpected that the incident had awoken a gene in Betsy, manifesting as such powers. At least that's what Merlyn had told him. Merlyn was very secretive so James wasn't quite sure how true it was. Betsy did deserve the chance to use her powers for good, as she saw fit.

"You should go for it then" James replied.

The twins were shocked, he usually took more convincing. Brian had decided not to take Stark up on his offer, he wanted to protect Britain independently.

"I'll go and call Mr Stark now then. Thank you for your support father" Betsy smiled excitedly.

She dashed out of the room to the hall telephone.

"Well dad" Brian sighed "we'd better get to work because I have a lot to learn before I can truly call myself Captain Britain."